>>>>Seems like the info is too late, he already paid... :(
>>>
>>>Did he at least get all of his programs and data restored the way they were, or did he just get a blank hard drive put in the laptop?
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>>They said they are doing the backup and already ordered the drive...
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>He has paid Mercedes-Benz prices, he should be sure he gets Mercedes-Benz service - a new hard drive with all of his programs and data reinstalled and fully functioning.
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>BTW for lurkers, more usual business practice is to charge after the work is done, not to demand payment in advance. The shop holds the repaired laptop until payment is received. A small shop might want a deposit to cover up-front costs like the replacement hard drive, then cash, debit or certified cheque for the final settlement. Larger ones will usually not require a deposit, and will also take credit card for final payment.
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>You can usually cancel a hardware order subject to a restocking fee. This is usually 10 - 15% depending on whether the hardware was opened or not. In this case a restocking fee might be higher because you'd have to cover the cost of the shop's time plus the restocking fee they'd have to pay their supplier. But, it still might be worth canceling the job and getting it done elsewhere if he's not locked into a contract he's already paid for.

That's what we decided to do, though he already was forced to pay $100 deposit...